Safeguarding & Law Flashcards
Define safeguarding
NHS England “Safeguarding means protecting a citizen’s health, wellbeing and human rights; enabling them to live free from harm, abuse & neglect.”
“Safeguarding children is the action taken to promote the welfare of children & protect them from harm.”
What is the Children Act 1989?
The Children Act 1989 is a United Kingdom Act of Parliament which allocates duties to local authorities, courts, parents, and other agencies in the United Kingdom, to ensure children are safeguarded and their welfare is promoted.
Remind yourself of different types of abuse
- Physical
- Emotional
- Sexual
- Neglect (subcategories including physical, educational, emotional & medical)
- Domestic abuse/violence
- Financial
- Identity
- Modern slavery
Define neglect
Ongoing failure to meet a child’s basic needs
What is child sexual exploitation?
State some signs that may suggest CSE is occuring
Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.
Signs:
- Got money, clothes, phones etc without plausible explanation
- Leaving home without explanation, persistently coming back late
- Excessive use of phone/texts/phone calls
- Coming home under the influence of drugs or alcohol
- Being secretive
- Hanging around with controlling &/or significantly older individuals
State some risk factors for abuse
- Domestic violence
- Previously abused parent
- Mental health problems
- Disability in the child
- Alcohol & substance misuse
- Learning disability in the parents
- Non-engagement with services
- Household stress (e.g. financial)
State some possible signs of abuse in children: think about signs of physical, emotional, sexual and neglect
Physical
- Unexplained injuries (bruises, burns, broken bones, cuts/scratches)
- Fabricated or induced illness
Emotional
- Babies may be overly affectionate towards strangers, show lack of attachment behaviours
- Children may have lack of confidence, struggle with emotions, struggle to make or maintain friendships, use inappropriate language for their age
Sexual
- Physical signs e.g. bruising, bleeding, discharge, pain in genital or anal area, STIs, pregnancy
- Unexplained gifts
- Sexual knowledge/behaviour that is not age appropriate
Neglect
- Physical: malnourished, inappropriate clothing, unclean, untreated nappy rash
- Educational: poor attendance, parents not interested in child’s education
- Emotional: parents ignore children, isolate them, intimidate them… May see lack of attachment behaviours in child or child who is not very close to parent
- Medical: not attending appointments, not helping child with managing condition etc..
If a child under 2yrs of age sustains physical injuries, you may use the under 2’s protocol. Discuss what this is and what it involves
Ask
If you have safeguarding concerns you should raise these to local safeguarding team or lead. Generally safeguarding cases are referred to children’s services (social services) who investigate further and can decide what action needs to be taken. Most cases don’t involve removing child from parent; usually involves some extra support and follow up. State some examples of support/measures that can be arranged for families
- Home visit programmes
- Parenting programmes to help parents develop parenting skills & manage child’s behaviour
- Attachment based interventions (to help parents bond & nuture their child)
- Child-parent psychotherapy
- Parent-child interaction therapy
- Multi-systemic therapy for child abuse & neglect (MST-CAN)
- CBT for children who suffered trauma or sexual abuse
Explain the difference between a child in need plan and a child protection plan
Child in need: there is a potential risk to the child. Authorities must assess the child & families needs and offer appropriate support however engagement from the family is voluntary. Section 17.
Child protection: significant risk of harm to the child. Social care must get involved to investigate/assess; family cannot object. Section 47.
What are adverse childhood experience (ACEs)?
State some potential consequences of ACEs
ACEs are traumatic events that occur in childhood e.g. experiencing violence, abuse, neglect or having a family member attempt or die by suicide. Also includes aspects of a child’s environment that undermine their sense of safety, stability & bonding (e.g. substance misuse in family, MH problems in family, parental separation…)
Potential consequences:
- Negative impact on education and job potnetial
- Mental health problems (self harm, suicide, depression, insecure attachment, PTSDs)
- Physical health problems (cancer, diabetes, heart disease)
- Societal implications (increased risk of breaking law)
- Risky behaviours (substance misuse, sex trafficking)
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SEE GP FLASHCARDS ON SAFEGUARDING FOR MORE!
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It it’s an emergency and waiting for parental consent would place child at risk, can you proceed without consent?
In an emergency, where treatment is vital and waiting for parental consent would place the child at risk, treatment can proceed without consent.
A person is recognised as an adult and has full autonomy at 18yrs. However, older children may also be able to make decisions about treatment. Discuss what decisions they can and cannot make
- Children aged 16yrs & 17yrs are presumed to have sufficient capacity to make decisions unless proven otherwise. However, this can be overruled in certain circumstances such as if it will result in death or a severe permanent injury. Although parents could consent on their behalf in this case best to go through court
- Children under 16yrs can consent to treatment if they are deemed to be Gillick competent. If they refuse treatment this can be overruled by parents/those with parental responsibility or the court
Is there a lower limit for the age at which children can make decisions about their health?
No, however it is unusual for consent to be taken from someone under 13yrs.
